4 Must Watch TED Talks for Anyone in the eLearning Industry

TED Talks are known for inspiring and educating individuals on a variety of topics, ranging anywhere from education to entertainment to the latest technology. Highlighting changes in education and online technology, we picked out four of our favorite talks perfect for those in the elearning industry:

The man behind Khan Academy discusses why he originally started producing the online educational videos and its rapid rise in popularity. Rather than typical lecture-based classes, he urges teachers to assign the online lectures for homework and use class time to interact, do assignments, and provide help as needed - use technology to “humanize the classroom.” Using elearning, Salman Khan emphasizes how students can truly master topics before moving on, unlike in traditional classrooms.

Sugata Mitra imagines a new type of school that utilizes the cloud to provide students with the resources and opportunity to learn. Without a traditional classroom or teacher, the children learn from the online courses and their peers. Children encourage each other, and without the aid of a teacher, effectively learn the material from what are now called Self-Organized Learning Environments. It’s quite remarkable to see the true value of elearning worldwide -- especially the impact Mitra has on those lacking other educational resources.

Daphne Koller, co-founder of Coursera, is using the data from students taking online courses to better understand how people learn. From the benefits of peer grading to the shift away from traditional lecture formats, this huge data pool has allowed for expansive research on the effectiveness and benefits of online learning. Analyzing conversations, assignments and test answers, this data can be used to further improve education and find the best learning strategies, both online and in person.

Ken Robinson argues that our current education system is stifling creativity. With coursework and testing becoming more standardized globally, students are forced into learning the select few subjects (e.g. math and science) in a set way. It is equally as important to cultivate creativity in education to better both ourselves and society. Although this talk does not explicitly discuss elearning, Robinson makes a strong case for why education needs to continue to evolve beyond the typical classroom.